10 Questions with Shelagh

10 Questions With Our Wonderful Stepney City Farmers

We asked Shelagh, one of our fantastic staff members 10 questions about what brought them to the Farm, and their thoughts on the Farm – and what they would recommend…

1. How did you first hear about Stepney City Farm? 

When I saw the advert for my Job at the end of 2016 

2. How long have you been working here?

Since January 2017

3. What made you want to become a working here?

It was an amazing opportunity to take on and the farms growing spaces so we could start growing to sell our produce. We now sell to two great restaurants, the local Box scheme- Tower Green Hamlets and of course to the public through our farm shop.

4. What is your favourite thing about Stepney City Farm?

There’s a lot to choose from … being able to do the growing that I love in such a hugely multicultural environment; the allotments which provide at least some people with a patch of land to grow their own food and the pleasure and community that comes with that. More generally it has to be that the farm is free (Tower Hamlets has one of the highest  levels of child poverty in the country) and in a densely populated area so so many people can have direct access to seeing food being grown and sample of rural life 

5. What have you learnt from your experience here?

What I big question! Lots about the animals …how to juggle 10 wildly different jobs, requests, demands at the same time  ( still learning), the names of at least some of the Bengali veg, how to refill a toilet roll dispenser … .

6. If there is one thing you could take home from the farm, what would it be?

Mars – the golden retriever of the pig world or a fully established mulberry tree

7. What do you recommend that other people could try at the Farm? 

Easy one … all our fruit and veg.  I Currently recommend  Our white figs – the ones that look like they’re almost rotten are most delicious.

8. What are your favourite animals here?

No favourites but will answer the chickens for their complex personalities both in a group and as individuals. They deserve better in this world!

9. Is there anything you would like to see more of?

Land

10. And finally, 3 words that describe the farm to you:

Bucolic, multicultural, inclusive